Revival

Last night at Collide Youth Group we prayed for revival. There’s no denying God is moving mightily in our youth ministry. Students are being cut to the heart over their sin, coming to faith in Christ at fall retreat and many are taking up the mantle of leadership seeking to bring the gospel to their friends and their school.

As I was praying yesterday morning I was deeply burdened to gather together to pray and seek God for revival. I kept thinking about King Josiah, a teenager, whom God used to birth a revival in the nation of Israel. 

The bible tells us Josiah was 16 years old when he started to earnestly seek the Lord and at the age of 20 he started purging Judah and Israel of it’s idols and false gods. His courage and willingness to be set apart for the glory of God brought Israel back to the Lord.

I reminded our teenagers that God wanted to use them to do the very same thing. Yet, I know that without prayer, repentance over personal sin and seeking earnestly after the Lord, revival will be stifled, not because God is unable to do it, but because His people are unwilling to walk in obedience with Him.

God always honors the heart who seeks to glorify Him above their own. He always pours out His power on people who are willing to empty themselves of their own desires to be filled with more of Him. I want to live that kind of life. I want my life to be put on display for the glory of God and the proclamation of the gospel. I want to be like Josiah and have the courage to seek the Lord for revival.

I challenged our youth to stick around after youth group, to seek the Lord for revival in prayer. Many of them stayed and we plan on continuing to seek the Lord, in prayer, for revival over the weeks and months to come after youth group each week. We long to see His kingdom come not just in our youth group in Aledo, IL, but beyond. We want to see revival break out in our community and then our nation. Would you pray with our students for revival? Would you ask God to send and pour out His Spirit on our youth, our community and our nation?

As we humble ourselves before God, He starts to heal, restore and renew. I don’t know about you, but I live a messy life, I struggle with sin, and I desperately need the power and grace of God in my life. Our nation needs His power and grace too. It needs that same spiritual awakening Josiah had the courage to usher in.

Our students are not afraid, they want to be bold witnesses for Jesus. Pray against any attack of the enemy over them. Ask God to give them great victory, in Jesus name.

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”- Acts 2:17

Uproot. Replant. Repeat.

If we find ourselves stuck in our faith, we must ask ourselves, whose fault is it? Are we sowing seeds of doubt, fear and unbelief, but angry at God for not giving us freedom over our current circumstances?

When we start sowing seeds of truth, faith, love and hope, we stand in agreement with God and His power to overcome as we actively work with Him to uproot the lies we have believed for so long. In order to be free from such deception we have to be willing to do the hard work of uprooting and replanting. 

Surface repair won’t do. This only last for a short time, eventually the roots of fear, anger, doubt, pride, control, insecurity, etc. start to make their way back up to the surface. The true condition of what we really believe is exposed and our creedal statements are of little value at this point.

The Christian must use the tools they’ve been given to plant in their hearts and minds the truths of who God is, found in the scriptures. As we actively work with Christ for our victory, planting new seeds of truth, we start to become new people whose hearts are full of peace, love, joy, contentment and hope.

We cannot expect overnight change. The process of uprooting, planting and watering the soil of our lives is a long process. It may take time before we start to see any real fruit, but if we choose to persevere in faith, not ripping out the truth and replanting seeds of discouragement, we will find our hearts and minds slowly start to change as our lives begin to produce life giving fruit.

Father, I want to produce fruit for you, but I understand that you have given me all the tools in which to do this. Today, I want to start on your promises for my life and actively go to work with you to uproot and replant. I want to be more like you, so today I choose walk uproot fear and plant your word in my heart and mind instead, sowing seeds of courage and victory in Jesus name, amen.

“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop yielding 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown.”- Matthew 13:23